Follow Us

2012 Olympics Designers Trying to Think of Everything

To be filed under “Huh. That’s interesting.” is news from the 2012 Olympics planning in London, where the Olympic Delivery Authority is trying to make the international event “the most inclusive and accessible so far.” They’re doing all the usual things like designing and building wheelchair ramps and different arrangements for restrooms to help cater to both the very young and the very old, all of which is nice and welcomed. But what we found particularly interesting is that they’re going the extra mile with religious considerations by making sure that most of the toilets in those aforementioned restrooms do not face Mecca, thus making it more welcoming to Muslims by observing their beliefs. How’s that for thinking ahead in the design planning? Elsewhere in London Olympic-land, here’s another interesting bit about how small design firms across the UK are meeting en masse to talk over their plans in bidding for design contracts and how they can clean up their shop to make sure they land the gig. And they’re pretty fastidious, those Olympic committees, as after they look at your portfolio, they also check out things like your firm’s turnover rate, level of diversity, and safety credentials. Something to keep in mind once we land 2016 here in Chicago (which we must!).